O Keepers of the Crystal
by Strawberry Eggs
Summary: Kalas has never really joined a Crystal Caravan and only seems to be interested in his one-man war against monsters. How can an unusual band of caravaners, help him? And how can they accomplish what so many have failed to do: stop the Miasma?
1. Prologue

**Full Summary: **Long ago, a deadly mist called Miasma enveloped the world, forcing the inhabitants to live near giant crystals in order to survive. Every year, Crystal Caravans are sent out from villages and cities to collect Myrrh, a special water from crystalline trees that re-energizes the crystals. Kalas, a nearly full-grown male Selkie has never been part of a Crystal Caravan. He seems entirely focused on his one-man war against monsters. How can a certain band of caravaners lead by a blond Clavat girl help him? And how can they do what others have tried and failed: stop the Miasma?

Wow, and here I thought I would not do another fanfic like this. I don't want to be labeled as someone who can't think up her own plots and has to mix two different titles to make a multi-chaptered story. Yet the more I thought about it, the more I started to like the idea: To take the world and part of the story of Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles and imagine what it would be like if Baten Kaitos characters were in it.

Anyway, much like my previous combination/adaptation story, there is no need to have played FFCC to enjoy this story. If you have not played it, consider this an AU fic set in a more traditional fantasy world than that of Baten Kaitos. Unlike _Tales of Phantasy_ though, this fic will not follow Crystal Chronicles' s story, at least not until much later on. The world of FFCC will be introduced at a pace that won't confuse those who have not played the game but (hopefully) won't bore those who have.

Character from both games will be in this story, not just those from BK. There will be other ways in which the Baten Kaitos world is mixed in with the world of Crystal Chronicles, even though the setting is that of FFCC. There may be some out-of-character-ness, this being an alternate universe and all, but I will minimize it. Part of the challenge of writing these combination fics is to predict how a character from one title may be different if he/she grew up in the world of another as well as how he/she would be the same. I will state now that there will a big change to two of them. As to who and how...you'll read for yourselves (I hope you won't mind...).

This will be my last opening Author's Note. Though I admit it is a strange premise for a story, I hope you will all enjoy it.

* * *

**Prologue**

_Echo of Memory_

A gasp escaped his mouth. Even though he was still several yards away from home he could clearly see that the front door was nearly torn from its hinges. The blue-haired adolescent boy took off on a sprint, easily maneuvering through the small wooded area. Even for a member of his Tribe, the speed at which he crossed the distance between where he was and his home was impressive.

"Gramps?! Fee?!"

He felt his heart sink. Despite seeing the door, the state of the first room still caused the boy to be taken aback. Chairs, an end table, and other pieces of furniture were tossed about haphazardly, several of them cut in half or hacked apart. The frantic boy ran further inside shouting, "Gramps! Fee!"

The boy's mind raced as he searched. What had happened? Who or what did this? Most importantly though, was his family all right? He had to find them!

The kitchen wasn't much different, only that the floor was covered with shattered dishes and the cupboards emptied of food. There was no sign of his grandfather or his younger brother.

Before he could leave the kitchen, there was a loud crash followed by a strange yelp. Whatever it was, it couldn't have been his grandfather or brother. He was able tell where it came from, though.

"Fee!" The blue-haired boy hurried to an adjacent room. Though his thoughts continued to race, the most prominent one echoed, _Let them be all right!_ _Please, let them be all right! _

His silent pleas were were much too late. The boy gasped in horror at the scene before him. His grandfather, an aging man with hair already completely gray was sprawled face down on the floor of the ruined room, a huge gash across his back and his blood blackening the back of his coat. His brother Fee's back was against the wall opposite of the door, his pale-colored eyes wide and fixed on a point on the floor. Someone or something had run the light blond-haired young boy through the chest. The older boy would have howled in anguish right there if not for a third figure in the room, one that was still very much alive

The figure was more than a head shorter than the lad, its skin an orange color. Its nose was long and slightly hooked at the tip and its ears large and pointed, which jutted out of the sides of its head. Four fangs stuck out from its top and bottom jaws. The only bit of armor it wore was a steel portion of its tan, triangular hat, other than than all it wore was a similar colored pair of overalls. He had encountered the creature more than a few times before, but any five-year-old would've recognized it; the ubiquitous Goblin.

The monster was picking itself back up, having been next to a fallen shelf. The crash he heard was likely the shelf falling on the thing's head as it tried to get the shelf down. Why it wanted to get it down the boy couldn't say; all that was on it were a stuffed Moogle and Greythrone, a model caravan wagon, and a carved wooden figurine of a whale. The Goblin was probably asking itself the same question as it angrily kicked the wooden whale hard, causing its tail to break off.

The monster let out a startled-sounding glutteral shout when it saw the boy in the doorway. It hurried to pick up its curved, single-edged saber. The boy took that as his cue to run towards his room, knowing Goblins weren't fast enough to make it dangerous to show his back to it. His swords, he needed his sword!

The boy's room was no different from the rest of his house. Any furniture and other personal things not taken had been scattered around, and many broken. Among the items still left in his room was the wooden case he kept his swords in, broken in half and empty.

He cursed under his breath. That swords was one-of-a-kind, designed and crafted by his grandfather. It was not the time though to get angry over a stolen weapon, however rare it was. He needed a weapon. A quick scan of the floor revealed a Goblin's saber. No doubt the fiend who took his sword discarded its own weapon in haste.

Not a moment sooner, the single Goblin poked its head into the room, letting out a loud grunt, perhaps the Goblin equivalent of "I found you!" The monster then jerked its head back out, seeing the weapon in the boy's hands. It could not tell how well he could handle the blade, but regardless, its query was now armed. Without its companions, it did not want to stick around and find out how skilled he was. The Goblin turned to run away from him.

Unfortunately for it, an enemy seldom lived when it showed its back to a Selkie.

In a single bound the boy closed the gap between himself and the monster, delivering a powerful slash down its back and knocking it off its feet. With a stab through its back, the creature was silenced for good.

This was not the first time he had killed a monster—or a Goblin for that matter--but he suddenly felt drained. With the invader dead, several thoughts and questions came upon him: Why had monsters entered the city of Balancoire? While he and his family lived on the border of the city, far from anyone else, monsters rarely, and supposedly with great reluctance, set foot within the area of a crystal's blessing. There had been rumors and stories of monsters invading those who lived on the edges of small towns and villages, but a city? Had they really become bold enough to raid border homes, or was it just a one-time occurrence? It was generally believed that since monsters thrived in Miasma, they were sensitive to the purifying powers of large crystals. Had some of them built a resistance to it?

Just how long ago had the Goblins invaded his home? The rest of them likely did not leave too long ago. That single Goblin was probably an especially greedy individual, hoping to find more loot by staying behind. Even so, Goblins rarely liked being alone for long. It may have thought it would catch up with the rest of its group. What if he had returned an hour early, a half-hour early? Would he have been able to stop them? Or were there too many for him to fend off? Would he have wound up dead like his grandfather and brother?

He could think and ask questions all he wanted, but he knew nothing would change what had happened. His grandfather and brother, the only family he had left, were both dead. All because of those Goblins, because of monsters like them plagued this world of Miasma. The boy felt ready to shed tears, to weep uncontrollably. What prevented him was a feeling of rage slowly growing within him. Two separate emotions cause by the same tragic event.

Walking away from the dead Goblin, he looked down at the floor, surely about to cry. He reentered his little brother's room, turning his sorrowful gaze at his family. His grandfather must've tried to protect Fee, perhaps rushing into the room once they broke in. A Goblin mob of any size could have cut them down too easily. Goblins, as well as most monsters, would attack anyone, but they seemed to revel in killing those who are or are nearly defenseless. He felt his rage flare, his look of sadness changing to that of anger as he lifted his head up.

"I won't forgive you! I'll never forgive any of you! I'll find you all, one by one! You'll answer to me some day! I'll make you pay for this! I'll do whatever it takes!"


	2. Caravan Crossroads

**Chapter 1: Caravan Crossroads**

"Do you see that? That Selkie is carrying a sword! Well I never!"

"Maybe he means to sells it."

"Why would he have it in a sheath at his hip like that then? I'm sure he actually uses it as a weapon."

"You know how youth are, rebelling and disregarding traditions and such. Just look at what he's wearing; a brown Selkic shirt, but dark blue breeches like those of a Clavat."

"Still, he looks old enough to know better, clothes or no clothes. Selkies are bad enough without them carrying swords!"

"You know you shouldn't say things like that!"

_Why not? We're much less threatening with those stupid rackets._

Kalaskept the same pace as he walked past the gossiping Clavat and Lilty women. Despite his bitter thoughts, he did not let what people said about him get to him. Besides, he already purchased the supplies he needed and did not need to remain in the village for long—Cebalrai, he believed was the name.

He had always known that Selkies, the tribe he belonged to, were stereotyped as being thieves and brigands. He saw during his travels that in cities, Selkies were treated with less open distrust and more acceptance, though there was always a bit of tension. In small towns and villages though, distrust was more evident, save for villages with high populations of Clavats. There was no longer outward hostility towards Selkies, but comments like the ones he had heard were common. The child-sized Lilties disliked Selkies more than the other three tribes, the older ones especially. Then again, many Lilties considered themselves to be superior to all the other tribes. After three years, he was used to the harsh whispers and looks he received from people, though more often than not it was because of his sword or his Clavatian breeches than just because he was Selkie.

It was that last part that especially irritated him, how people thought the four tribes had to conform to certain styles of dress and such. As far as he could see, there were very few differences between the Selkie and Clavat tribes anyway. Physically the only way to tell the difference was hair color: Clavats had hair ranging in various shades of brown, black, blond, and occasionally red. Selkies on the other hand had shades of blue, green, violet, and silver. Once in a rare while a Selkie is born with blond or red hair, though intermarriages between the two tribes have always been relatively common. True, Selkies were also typically more agile than Clavats, but that is not always easy to tell at a glance. Everything else was due to life choices and upbringing: their different styles of dress, mannerisms, lifestyles, and the like. Regardless, both tribes still had the same body type, similar average height, the same number of fingers and toes, similar eyes, live about the same number of years, and so on.

It wasn't as if he was the only one who felt that way, either. Many people of different tribes around his age, as well those as a few years old and younger, seemed to feel the same way. They too mixed clothing styles, used the weapons of different tribes, and even took up the jobs that traditionally belonged to other tribes. Increasingly there were Clavat mages, Selkie farmers, and Lilty millers. He even once saw a Yuke blacksmith, though the ever-mysterious Yukes seemed to be the least likely to adopt other tribes' habits. Of course, being raised by a Clavat probably had a bit to do with his feelings on the matter.

His grandfather, a Clavat named Georg, was not actually related to him by blood. He had found Kalas and his brother Fee under an over-turned wagon years ago. Their parents were no where to be found, but the wagon had clearly been attacked by monsters, so they had likely been taken away. Kalas could not remember anything before that day and did not remember the attack itself. His grandfather believed it may have due to the shock of the attack, physically or emotionally. Fee could not remember anything as well, though he was only three at the time. Without any way to find the boys' relatives, the kind-hearted man took them in. Unsurprisingly, Kalas adopted some habits and tastes that were more like those of a Clavat than a Selkie.

He had lost both the family he never knew and the only family he had ever known to monsters. A tragic coincidence or twist of fate, but there was much tragedy in this world of Miasma. Long ago, the poisonous mist enveloped the world, taking many lives. Those who were fortunate enough to be within the vicinity of a crystal's aura survived, but the monsters would come soon after. Oh, there had always been vicious creatures in the world, but never had there been so many, or as strong. They thrived in the deadly gas. His story was a sad one, but there were countless others authored by the Miasma and the monsters. Still, he had two reasons for hunting down monster, even though it was only the event three years ago that he remembered.

Ever since he found his grandfather and brother slaughtered by Goblins, he had been traveling across the continent, killing monsters. At first he wanted revenge on the Goblin pack that had done it, but he quickly discovered how impossible that was. He had no way of knowing which Goblins were the ones that killed them after all. They could have joined with another Goblin horde or split up. He even traveled to the Goblin Wall, a stronghold for the creatures on the Tipa Peninsula. There were far too many for him to take out by himself, but even if he had, he realized that he still had no way of knowing if he killed them or not. After three years, he may not have killed any of them, or perhaps he killed all of them. Still, for a time he decided that _all_ monsters would pay, not just Goblins. He knew full well he would never be able to kill all of them, but he saw no other way to avenge his family. Perhaps if the Miasma were cleared, the monsters would vanish too, or at least be seriously weakened.

Clearing the Miasma, now _there_ was an impossible feat.

Though he continued to slay as many monsters as he could without being overwhelmed, it had become a force of habit more than anything else. Perhaps he should have given up long ago and move on with his life. Indeed, the thought crossed his mind on more than one occasion but he could never bring himself to do it. What would he do with his life, having wasted three years of it?

As the Selkie walked through the small farming village, just as he passed the blacksmith, he noticed a three-party Crystal Caravan, wagon and all. They were a common sight in the world. Every village, town, and city had their own. It was by the journey of the young people who joined the caravans that civilization could continue to exist. Every year, these caravans were sent out to collect Myrrh from crystalline trees that ironically grew in monsters infested regions. This miraculous water was what re-energized the large crystals so they could continue to repel the Miasma, ensuring that the village, town, or city would survive for another year. They may have been some other town's caravan as well and were merely passing through; he could not really tell.

Holding the reins of the papaopamus, a creature like a blue-furred, short-legged ox that caravanners preferred to have pull their covered wagon, was a male Lilty. By appearance, he had to be at least 30 years of age. With their short, stout bodies, large heads, and large blue eye, Lilties looked like children even as adults. It was not until Lilty men were in their 30s that they began to look somewhat like adults, the coppery skin on their heads turning darker, faces becoming more angular, and eyes not quite as large. Like other Lilties, the skin on his face and rest of his shirtless torso was lighter in color, though more tan than the average Lilty. Though he wore a pair of baggy, reddish-brown trousers, the only piece of armor Kalas saw on him were the metallic gauntlets that Lilties were fond of. On his head was a gold-and-green colored headband of sorts with two gold-colored rings that hung down the sides of his head, over where his ears would have been had Lilties had visible outer ears. His hair—or what Lilties called hair; to Kalas and indeed many people, it looked like plant leaves sprouting from the tops of their heads—was short and a bit spiked.

Jumping down from the back of a wagon was a young Yuke girl, though how young was difficult to tell. If having longer lifespans were not enough, this strange tribe always wore bronze helmets with visors that covered their entire heads. She wore no other pieces of armors, though Yukes never did. She wore a mostly fuchsia-colored light coat, with the skirt-like coattails a blue hue embroidered with yellow pentagrams. Her baggy, short white trousers came down to her knees, showing the rest of her white-and-brown-striped feathered legs. It was because of their feathered hands and legs along with their slender forms, tiny wings on their backs, and the beak-like shape of their helmets that many people believe Yukes were birds of some sort. However, no one has ever seen what a Yuke truly looks like, or so Kalas heard. The Yukes themselves never confirmed or denied stories about them having altered their appearance to enhance their arcane abilities or that their bodies were magically-created shells that housed their souls. Kalas doubted there was much truth to these claims; the Yukes seemed to enjoy being a "mystery people." The girl did have one thing he never saw on a Yuke before: a small blue-and-pale-yellow wooden bird that spun on top of her helmet.

The last member of the caravan, having already gotten off the wagon was a Clavat girl with short blond hair. Perhaps a year or so younger than him, she wore a red coat with jagged pink fringes on her sleeves and the bottom. Her long trousers were pink in color, a bit uncommon as far as Clavats were concerned.

The Clavat girl turned around, possibly having seen Kalas from the corner of her eye. Though she gave him a bit of a surprised look at first, her expression quickly changed to a kind smile.

The blue-haired young man blinked. Shaking his head, he continued to make his way out of the village. What made him stop and watch those three like that? It wasn't as if caravans of mixed tribes were rare, especially in this day and age. True, he never saw a Lilty caravaner with only gauntlets and no other pieces of armor, or any Yuke with as strange an ornament as that spinning bird. Still, it was nothing particularly special. Pink wasn't all that unusual for a Clavat.

There was no point in thinking about caravans, anyway. He needed to get to the nearest monster hot spot to the village before it got dark: the marshland known as Conall Curach.

* * *

_Sigh _Why is it that I can never get these chapters out on time? It certainly doesn't help that I'm working on two stories at once. Sometimes I wish I hadn't attempted working on two stories at once. Oh well, too late now...

I do hope I explained aspects of the Crystal Chronicles without it seeming too choppy or ill-paced. If anyone needs me to clear up anything, feel free to ask in a review or PM, though some things I won't be going into detail until later chapters. As I said I would, I turned two of the Baten Kaitos characters into non-human races. It's strange perhaps, but I thought it would be more interesting if not everyone were just Clavats and Selkies (both are essentially normal humans, in case some of your haven't gotten that).

Well, thanks for reading! I'll try and get the next chapter up as soon as I can.


	3. Encounter

****

Chapter 2: Encounter

Over the past three years Kalas had been to forests, caves, a fortress belonging to a Lizardman King, and even the enormous mansion of a Gigas Lord. None of them, however, were quite like the place he was in. A vast marsh near the ocean, Conall Curach was perpetually blanketed in fog. The air felt heavy, both on his skin and in his lungs. Though a few dead and stunted trees were in view, there was mostly grass and shrubs. Small, shallow pools of water dotted the land. In the distance the pools seemed to join together, until the ground became little more than narrow pathways through water. The density of Miasma must have been especially high in the marsh as the water was grey and cloudy in deeper parts, indicating that the toxic mist had even dissolved into the ponds and pools. Kalas took out the compact crystal he kept tucked into his shirt. Not for the first time he wondered if it had any limits. From what he understood, a crystal's size only limits the area it purifies. A crystal of any size can dispel Miasma regardless of its density. Still, he was glad that he recently reenergized it.

He continued walking through the marsh carefully. A group of caravanners, or Lilities out monster hunting could afford rushing into these areas due to their numbers. Kalas was only one lone Selkie. He also needed to see where the Myrrh tree was. He may have been there to kill monsters, but he could not take on a tree guardian by himself. If not for the fog though, he could have moved a bit quicker through the marsh.

Kalas's trek was initially uneventful, at least as far as walking through such an area could be. He mostly encountered Mus, white-and-purple-furred squirrel-like creatures other places called a Mu. These lemur-like creature were more of a nuisance than anything, only really posing a danger if they distracted him from more powerful monsters like the insect-like Abaddons. Aside from them and a long-tailed amphibious monster called a Sahagin, he had little trouble despite the thick fog.

After quickly crossing a bridge-if you could call a series of crudely tied-together logs that sink when you step on them a bridge-over a large pond, Kalas noticed that the fog was somewhat lighter. He wondered if that meant he was getting closer to the Myrrh tree, especially with the fog's infusion of Miasma. He thought he would be able to see the tree from a fair distant. At the very least, monsters would be easier to spot.

Not that he saw his next encounter right away. He heard a loud roar followed buy the sound of something charging towards him. Out of the fog, a large purple form came into view. Kalas waited for the creature to come close enough before he jumped out of its way. The monster kept charging until it crashed into a tall tree. Though he never saw one before, Kalas heard enough about the beast to know he was potentially in over his head. Its huge size, long legs with large paws ending in sharp, black claws, long, black, bull-like horn, black and yellow spiky mane, and long, muscular tail with a yellow tuft could only belong to one monster: the Behemoth.

The creature shook its head before turning around to face Kalas. He cautiously backed away from the beast. Running would only make it charge again and his training with the sword made him somewhat slower than the average Selkie. He might have been able outrun it, but he didn't want to risk it. The Behemoth first stomped towards him, then quickened its pace. When it was within an arm's length from Kalas, the Selkie slashed the huge beast's snout, forming a wide gash across it and causing the monster to flinch. He used the opening to deliver another slash across its face.

_Like it or not, I've got a fight on my hands_, Kalas thought. Maybe slaying a Behemoth single-handedly was as easy as boastful warriors and thrill-seekers make it out to be.

The Behemoth roared, swiping its large right paw toward Kalas. He leapt to the monster's side, swinging his sword horizontally and giving the beast another gash. With a quick roar it turned, trying to gore the Selkie with its horns. Kalas leapt again, this time to its back legs. With another roar, the Behemoth swung its long tail, but Kalas easily dodged that move as well. No Behemoth, and indeed few monsters, could match the agility of a Selkie, even if that Selkie was a bit slower than mos. Still, Kalas could not dodge its attacks forever. He had to end the fight fast, before he found out which one of them had the better endurance.

Kalas stood still as the monster turned to face him. It jumped, intending to stomp him with its front paws. Instead of jumping away, Kalas sprang up. The Behemoth gave a surprised-sounding growl, turning its head left and right to find its prey. When it finally looked up, the beast felt the blue-haired young man land on its back. Immediately it tried to shake him off.

_Maybe I should've thought this through better_, Kalas considered as he gripped onto the beast's mane for dear life. He was hoping to stab the purple monstrosity through the back of its neck, but he should have expected it to not allow him on its back so easily.

When shaking him off yielded no results, the monster reared up on its hind legs, then slammed its front limbs back down on the ground. The force of a few of the elaborate stomps finally caused the Selkie to lose his grip. Kalas landed hard face down on the ground, knocking the wind out of him and robbing him of precious seconds needed to get up and out of the Behemoth's way. The beast was soon standing over him, glaring. A quick, if only partial recovery thanks to adrenaline allowed him to locate and grab his sword that thankfully landed within reach of his right arm. As the Behemoth's teeth came down, Kalas stabbed his blade into its throat. Its roar of pain turned into a guttural sound as blood filled its throat and mouth. Kalas scrambled out from under the Behemoth. The beast panted heavily as blood poured onto the ground. Even so, it continued to stand, glaring at Kalas. The Selkie raised his sword, preparing to finish the monster off. Suddenly, a loud roar came from of to Kalas's left side. The youth gasped loudly as he turned toward the roar's direction. Sure enough, another equally large Behemoth came charging at him. Completely forgetting the dangers of trying to run away from a Behemoth, Kalas attempted to flee. The new beast caught up to the exhausted Selkie, then rammed him with its horns.

Odd. Shouldn't he have felt some sort of pain when its horns connected? All he felt was his body briefly soaring through the air, then not feeling or seeing anything except darkness. . .

* * *

A familiar squeaking noise was the first thing he heard in what felt like a long time. With a low groan, Kalas slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was the grey, foggy skies of Conall Churach. His head was propped up on something, though the only thing he could tell was that it wasn't a rock.

Kalas turned to his right side, propping himself up on his arms. Kneeling near him was a Clavat girl with short blonde hair and brown eyes dressed in white and pink. She looked to be about his age, or at least not much younger than a year. Next to her was a small, plump animal with smooth blue, green and white skin; a Grethrone. As these creatures often do, it was bouncing up and down excitedly. On the girl's left was young Yuke, a female by the looks of her vestigial feathered wings, her most notable feature being an odd spinning wooden bird on the top of her helmet. She, too, was kneeling. The last of the strangers was a Lilty man, oddly lacking upper-body armor, or a shirt for that matter. He was standing; while he was tall for a Lilty, he was still shorter than the other two and didn't need to kneel.

"The Selkie be okay! That be great! Terrific! Wonderful!" The Yuke exclaimed, her voice sounding somewhat echoic because of her helmet.

"How do you feel?" the Clavat girl asked him. Kalas then realized that he was not in any pain.

"Uh. . . . I feel fine," he replied while checking his arms and waist and feeling his back. There wasn't a scratch on him, "Did you heal me?"

"Yes, we both did. You were in such terrible shape that we had to use a Life spell to stabilize you in addition to Cure," The Clavat girl said, indicating the Yuke with her hand as she said "we both did."

A Life spell. Well, few people would have been able to survive being head-butted by a charging Behemoth without it. It is powerful enough to heal wounds that would kill otherwise.

Kalas also realized something else; these people were caravan he saw back in Cebalrai. He initially thinks, _what are the odds?_ before realizing that he shouldn't be so surprised. Conall Curach was, after all, the nearest area to the village with a Myrrh tree. Still. . .

"You be lucky that we be near by," the Yuke girl continued, as if she heard his thoughts, "What you be doing fighting two Behemoths?"

The Selkie took a while to reply, not because the question itself threw him off, but rather the Yuke's manner of speaking. While the Yuke tribe is known for their eccentricity, they usually spoke normally. Shaking his head, he finally says,

"I wasn't trying to fight both of them. The first one caught me by surprise. Before I could finish it off, the second one charged at me."

"That's Behemoths for you. Unlike a lot of monsters, they're solitary hunters and they're not against stealing prey from each other," The Lilty said matter-of-factly. Odd outfit for not, he seemed to know a fair bit about monsters, as Lilties usually do. Or maybe he just knows about Behemoths.

"You're also strangely lucky that you didn't finish off the first one. When we got here, the two were fighting, then the injured Behemoth was killed by the other one," he continued.

"You be double lucky! The second Behemoth be eaten you for sure!" The strange Yuke added.

"Did you get separated from a caravan?" The blonde Clavat asked him, attempting to move on from the subject of Behemoths.

"I'm traveling along. Believe me, I wouldn't have came here if I had known there were Behemoths running around," Kalas replied, saying the last part with a grumble. Then the Selkie picked himself up and said, "I don't have anything to give in return, but thanks for saving me." "Actually, there is something you could do for us if you want," the Clavat began to say. "You want me to help you fight the Myrrh Tree guardian here?" Kalas asked in response. "It's not that. We're actually not a Crystal Caravan. We're here to investigate some old Selkic writings on large boulders found recently."

ot a Crystal Caravan. . . Kalas then realized that he didn't see a chalice anywhere. They must've been using compact crystal, like he was.

"Selkic. . ." Kalas said to himself. Though he doesn't remember ever learning the language, he ws somewhat familiar with it. While many Selkies learn the old language, there was an increasing number of people Kalas's age and younger who didn't know it at all. Kalas hadn't even known there was a unique Selkic language until four years after Georg found him, and that was only after some Selkie friends of his complained about their parents making them speak it at home. He was surprised when the discovered he knew much of the language. He surmised that his birth parents taught him when he was a young child.

"I'm a little out of practice, but I'll see what I can do," he admitted. He would often offer to help a Crystal Caravan in exchange for reenergizing his compact crystal using the Myrrh they collected. This results in the Caravan needing to leave three months early the next time more Myrrh needed to be collected, but even one extra skilled fighter can greatly shorten how long it take to travel through a monster-infested region and to defeat a guardian. Being a translator was something he never thought he would ever do, but temporarily traveling with a caravan was hardly new to him. Besides, itccurred to him that if he had left on his own, he could very well run into one or more Behemoths again.

"Great! That will save us the trouble of finding someone when he leave," said the Clavat. Upon realizing something, the girl's eyed widened a little," Oh! In all this discussion, we haven't even introduced ourselves. My name is Xelha."

"The name's Gibari," The Lilty continued.

"The Great Mizuti be here!" the Yuke girl exclaimed.

"The Selkie blinked, saying "Great?" under his breath. He shook his head a bit and said, "Erm, I'm Kalas."

"It's nice to meet you, Kalas," Xelha said with a smile.

"Welcome to the group!" Gibari added cheerfully.

"Hey, it's not like I'm joining you permanently," Kalas chided, "I'm just retuning the favor."

Xelha only stayed silent while Gibari raised what would have been an eyebrow if he had any. Mizuti was the only one to saying anything aloud, responding, "Kalas not be very nice!"

"I'm just being honest," the Selkie remarked with a sideways glance.

"Let's start looking for those stones. We need to find them before it gets dark," Xelha said.

Everyone else agreed, beginning their trek in earnest. Some might have called it a rocky start, but Kalas didn't particularly care. He had experienced more awkward ones. They didn't seem to be a bad sort of group, anyway. And as much as he didn't want to admit it, he felt safer with them, should any other Behemoths attack.

* * *

So much for getting this chatper up as soon as I can. . .though in my defense, I had to worry about a little thing called graduation. :P Fine, so that was months ago, sue me. I can't say how often I'll be updating this, but I'll certainly try. I would like to get back into the fanfiction swing of things. I'm worried that this chapter is a tad on the short side, but tell me what you think. Again, I will try to update as soon as I can. . .though I hope it won't take me more than two flippin' years!


	4. Aiming Towards the New World

**Chapter Three: Aiming Towards the New World**

Kalas was amazed at how much Selkic he knew. When they discovered the first boulder with the language, he found himself recalling how to pronounce the words and what they meant. A few words took a while for him to recall and a handful he couldn't figure out at all, but he made guesses based on context.

He never found history all that interesting, but when it involved his own tribe, he could not help but take notice. How long ago he was not able to tell, but in the past, a group of Selkies seeking a new homeland came through Conall Curach. The large rocks were milestones for other Selkies to follow and they carried words of encouragement. Even the fifth stone did, despite the message being more somber than the others.

"'To those who follow: I am the only one left. I can build the road no more. Be steadfast in your path. Find a place the Selkies can call our own!'" Kalas repeated aloud, after having pieced out what most of the text said.

Looking out over the wooden platform that continued in the distance, Xelha said, "At least they didn't die in vain."

"I don't know about that. I never heard of a Selkie haven before," Kalas said.

"The Selkies that passed through eventually found the town of Leuda on Lynari Island, across a sea not too far from here," Xelha began to explain.

Kalas raised an eyebrow, "Isn't Leuda that desert town?"

"It's near a desert," she clarified, "and anyway, while it wasn't a haven in the typical sense, it was a safe place for the Selkies escaping persecution from the Liltian Empire to go.

"Liltian Empire times? So these carvings are pretty old," Kalas said.

"Most likely," the Clavat agreed, "The stones were only recently uncovered, but since Leuda was founded around 600 years ago, they are probably at least as old."

"Well, I guess living near a desert on a remote island is better than being treated as third-class citizens by Lilties."

"Kalas!" Xelha snapped, glancing towards Gibari.

"You don't have to worry, Xelha. I'll be the first Lilty to admit to the harsh actions of the old empire," said Gibari.

"It's not like it was a personal attack, anyway," Kalas added. He was a little surprised by what Gibari said. He would have expected that from a Lilty ten years younger than him. Younger Lilties often apologized for the actions of the old empire, which fell about one hundred years ago, which Kalas found funny since they certainly had nothing to do with it. While what Gibari said wasn't exactly an apology, most Lilties his age avoided bringing the empire up.

"This all be interesting, but these stones not be having the information we be looking for," Mizuti interjected.

"'Looking for?'" Kalas repeated, "I thought you just wanted to translate these rocks."

The other three exchanged glances.

"What, is it some kind of big secret?" Kalas asked with a large hint of annoyance on his voice.

"No, it's not that," Xelha began, looking a little hesitant, "It's just a little…unusual."

The Selkie frowned.

"We're here hoping that some of these stones contain information on the far northern Miasma stream."

"That impassable one?" The blue-haired boy asked, "Why would a bunch of carved rocks in a swamp have anything to do with the northern stream?"

There were four great currents of Miasma located on the continent. With chalices or compact crystals imbued with one of the four elements, these streams could be passed. Without the right element, the stream could somehow push people back. By placing a crystal onto certain spots in the world, which like Myrrh Trees were only found in monster-infested regions, it would be charged with the power of fire, wind, water, or earth. Which element was needed changed yearly and differs from stream to stream. A careful record was kept in towns and villages located near the streams of which element was needed to pass them.

The Miasma stream to the far north was different, though. No element was ever able to overcome it and allow people to pass beyond it. According to the few Moogles brave enough to go, who were immune to Miasma, the area beyond the stream is a barren wasteland.

"This marsh be close to the stream. Quite close. Very close. Perhaps the Selkies be writing about it on stones," Mizuti answered.

"Since the stones were only recently discovered, no one could say for certain what the writings were about. It may have been a long shot, but there was always the chance. We are also helping the scholars back at the magic school the Great Mizuti and I attended by translating and bringing it back to them."

"Scholars are still interested in the Abyss? It's just a wasteland out there," Kalas chided. "The Abyss" was a common term people used to refer to the lands beyond the northern stream.

"Scholars not be asking us to do this! The Great Mizuti and her companions believe there be something in the Abyss! Maybe. Possibly," the young Yuke said, raising her voice except for the last two words.

Kalas blinked, and then asked incredulously "The source? Don't tell me you're trying to stop the Miasma?"

Looking hesitant again, the Clavat girl said, "Well, yes, actually."

"And you think it's in the Abyss?" Kalas's voice was heavy with skepticism.

Losing her hesitance, Xelha said, "The Miasma is heavily concentrated there. It may even explain why the stream that blocks the Abyss can't be crossed by normal means. Also, many reports from previous expeditions point in that direction."

"And they all failed. It's been how many thousands of years since the Miasma came and now one's been able to find a way to get rid of it. You're crazy if you think you three can stop it."

The blonde Clavat bunched her hands into fists, and raised her voice as she responded, "Someone has to keep trying! For over three thousand years the Miasma and the monsters that thrive in it have taken and ruined countless lives."

"The Miasma can be stopped! The Great Mizuti can feel it!"

"Even if we can't stop it, we may find some important clue that can help the next person or group," Xelha continued more calmly.

Kalas turned to speak to Gibari, "I'm surprised that you're going along with this. I thought Lilties were supposed to be down-to-earth."

"That doesn't mean we're all cynical," he replied.

The Selkie rolled his eyes, "Well, it's not like you're asking me to join your little group permanently." As an afterthought, he said, "I still think you're crazy, though."

"Don't do us any favors," Gibari replied humorlessly.

For the next hour or so, not much conversation passed between Kalas and the others. Xelha did attempt some small talk with the Selkie, but Kalas did say much in response. He wasn't going to stay with them, so why bother chit-chatting? The landscape changed slowly as they traveled, with less land and more water. The wooden platforms that the Selkies built long ago provided a means for them to travel deeper into the Conall Curach. There was also less in the way of plant life. What little they did see was either dead or dull and sickly-looking. They eventually could see the vague outline of the marsh's Myrrh Tree in the distance, which glowed in a faint whitish-green light. Kalas would normally have started to walk back out of a monster area, as the creatures tended to attack in larger hordes near the tree, but he was in a group this time. Besides, so long as they did not go right up to the tree, the Guardian wouldn't attack them.

After a long trek, they found the last of the inscribed stones. The Selkie set to work on translating. He thought to himself that the sooner he finished, the sooner he could leave Conall Curach and the deluded trio. First, Xelha took a rubbing of the original text. Then Kalas, as he did before, would say a sentence out quietly in Selkic, and then repeat it slowly translated into the common language so Xelha could write it down. When finished, he would repeat the whole thing back without pauses.

"We have ... answered…your call to continue…cross the sea…it-"

A vicious roar echoed throughout the marsh, one much louder than that of a Behemoth. Kalas jumped up, readying his sword as the other three tensed and drew out their weapons. A large shape blurred by the fog came into view, flying from the direction of the Myrrh Tree. As it came closer, the blurred shape focused into that of an enormous dragon. It was covered in an orange-yellow scaly hide and had a long tail, neck, and four lighter-colored wings. Strangely, the dragon emitted a yellowish aura.

"The Guardian?" Kalas exclaimed. A monster that size could be nothing else, "But we're nowhere near the tree!

"Tell that to the dragon!" Gibari remarked helpfully.

With no way to hide or run away, the four of them stood their ground as the monster flew closer. Within minutes it landed a few yards in front of them, unleashing another roar. Despite its size, there was no tremor or shockwave from its landing. Even stranger, the dragon looked opaque; objects behind it could be vaguely seen through it.

"Great, it's a ghost-dragon! How the heck are we supposed to beat something like that?" Kalas exclaimed. Some monsters were ghostly in nature, rendering them invulnerable to any attack. Kalas usually evaded such monsters before.

"Mizuti and I can take care of that. Kalas, you and Gibari keep the dragon distracted until we finish the spell," Xelha explained.

Before Kalas could reply, the incorporeal dragon opened its jaws, breathing out a dark green fog. The Selkie jumped out of the stream of fog's path while Gibari rolled to avoid it. Kalas then charged at the dragon, leaping out of its way again when it unleashed a blast of air by flapping its wings. Gibari taunted the monster, stabbing his spear repeatedly into it knowing full well he couldn't hurt it. The giant reptile snapped its attention towards the Lilty, first attempting to bite him, then breathing more green fog at him. That time he wasn't able to completely avoid the stream, inhaling it and quickly feeling his strength sap away.

"Poison breath … shoulda known …" he said between coughs. He quickly pulled out a catch-all antidote and drank it down.

Before the dragon could continue it attack, many small spheres of light surrounded it. Several yards away, Xelha and Mizuti shouted "Holyra!" and the spheres slammed themselves into the monster, creating flashes of bright light. At the same time, a circle of white light flashed upward from the ground, engulfing the dragon. The giant reptile threw its head up, roaring in pain. As the lights died down, the glowing aura around the dragon also faded. At the same time, the monster lost its opaqueness, becoming solid.

Kalas then recalled something he had only heard of, but never saw done. For some unknown reason, undead or ghost-like monsters could be made physical by using light spells on them. As Holy and its more powerful form Holyra were difficult spells to perform, Kalas just avoided these types of monsters. The dragon could now be killed.

"All right, it's finally time to fight back!" Kalas exclaimed.

"Be careful! It's a Guardian, and I don't know how long the effect will last compare to regular monsters," Xelha shouted to him and Gibari.

"Well that's reassuring," Kalas said dryly.

When the Holyra spell finally died down, the dragon roared in anger. It rose up and released another blast of wind, this one aimed at Xelha and Mizuti. The Yuke made herself transparent, an ability all members of the tribe shared, though few could do it for much longer than a few seconds. Xelha, though, could only try to dodge it with little success. She let out a yelp of pain as the blast caused her to fly backwards and skids across the ground.

"Xelha!" Mizuti exclaimed, hurrying to the Clavat. As she prepared a Cure spell, the dragon attempted to lunge at the two mages. Gibari quickly thrust his spear into the dragon's side. While it swung its head to face the Lilty, Kalas slashed the monster's front left leg. The sword did not cut deeply.

"Ugh," Kalas said after jumping back from being so near the dragon, "I heard dragon scales were tough, but still! This fight's going to be a long one."

"We're not the main damage dealers here, kid," Gibari said to the Selkie. As if on cue, another brilliant burst of light engulfed the monster.

"Oh, I see. We're playing decoy," Kalas remarked dryly.

"You got it."

The battle raged on. As Kalas and Gibari kept the phantom dragon busy and more importantly, away from the mages, Xelha and Mizuti casted faster, though less powerful Holy spells. This prevented the dragon from becoming ghostly again as well. Three times, though, the monster managed to breathe poison or shot powerful gusts at the girls instead of the fighters. Every so often, the magic-users would heal Kalas and Gibari or themselves with Cure and Clear for poison. Over time and despite the dragon's tough hide, many a sword and spear wound scarred its body.

Frustrated by the males, the wyrm suddenly leaped up and into the air, keeping itself afloat by rapidly flapping its four wings. It fired its toxic breath at them, forcing them to dodge it. The dragon then turned its attention to Xelha and Mizuti, intending on flying closer to them. The girls were in the middle of casting a spell, likely Holyra judging by how long they had been synching their spell. They would have to stop it though in order to avoid the attack. Gibari managed to get up quickly, and then hurled his spear at the monster. His weapon wasn't designed for throwing, but it still struck the desired target: the reptile's left wing. The appendage flapped awkwardly for a brief moment as the dragon lost altitude, and then it dropped from the air like a boulder. The beast was momentarily stunned, allowing Gibari and Kalas to approach it.

The giant reptile lifted its head slightly once they were close enough, growling angrily, though still a little disoriented. Before it did anything else, the now familiar spheres of light formed around the dragon as did a brilliant circle underneath it. The flash of the Holyra seemed brighter than usual as the monster roared in pain. When the spell died down, the dragon's neck dropped to the ground as its body went limp. It then faded away quickly. The four stared at the dragon's vanishing form, just in case. Mizuti was the first to relax, raising her arms and cheering, "That dragon be no match for the Great Mizuti!"

Kalas let out a sigh of relief. He had fought other Tree Guardians when assisting some Crystal Caravans, but the dragon was something else. Gibari walked up to the Selkie boy, reaching up to place his hand on Kalas's shoulder. It seemed a bit awkward, considering his Liltian shortness.

"It might have been an unexpected fight, but at least none of us got seriously hurt," Gibari said, "You know, you're not half-bad with that sword. Better than most Selkies I've known."

"I've had a lot of practice," Kalas replied. He had been training since he was ten or so, in fact. He grandfather was an alchemist that specialized in designing weapons. He mostly made scrolls for swords, so Kalas had more practice with those weapons than with Selkic rackets.

"Still," the boy continued, "Why did it attack us like that?"

Gibari crossed his arms, "There have been several stories of monsters getting more aggressive in the past few years. Though this is the first I heard of a Guardian moving from its tree."

"It does fit what people have been reporting," Xelha said as she walked up to the men, "More attacks on major road, larger hordes of monsters, and even reports on attack on villages and the outskirts of larger towns."

Kalas took a sharp breath, but avoided openly showing his shock.

"And that dragon," the Clavat girl continued solemnly, "it will revive again and again to fight other groups of caravanners. Imagine how many lives it has already taken since the Miasma came over three thousand years ago. How many more will it take now that it is willing to move away from the Myrrh Tree?"

Kalas watched the girl as she spoke. What she said was obvious fact, and she was being a little melodramatic, but for once, he didn't feel like replying with something biting or sarcastic.

"Well, that's the world we live in. Do you really think _you_ can do something about it?" It wasn't really sarcastic or too biting, but it was reply.

Xelha looked at the Selkie intensely. He could only blink.

"That why we have to try, especially now that the monsters are getting more aggressive. With the Miasma gone, monsters will probably get weaker. Even if they don't, there won't be any more Miasma! We can move freely outside of towns and cities. We don't have to send people out for Myrrh and there would be fewer deaths by monsters."

"So many lives lost and so many ill memories for those left behind…Of course stopping the Miasma won't end all suffering, but the world can't continue like this. As I said before, even if we can't stop it, maybe we can find or do something for the next person or group who tries."

_You guys really are crazy_, was what Kalas wanted to say, but he continued to be silent. This had nothing to do with him. He paid his debt to these people for saving his life. And yet there was something oddly compelling about what she said. Especially, he had to admit, what she said about weakening the monsters. What they were doing could probably get them all killed. Even if it didn't, they would be wasting their time. But hadn't he already wasted the past three years of his life on a pointless crusade?

Was he seriously considering joining this nutty group?

* * *

**Author's Note:** See, it didn't take me two years, just a little more than one! :P Yeah, sorry about that. I've just been rather busy these days. I do want to continue with this story, but let's see if I can try to update more often. I do have ideas for one-shots. I'm not sure if want to continue Tales of Phantasy: Gal Da Val Saga. Heck, I'm not even sure if anyone is interested in reading this story, let alone that one.

Well, anyway, please review and tell me what you think.


	5. If It's Three People

**Chapter Four: If it's Three People . . .**

"Like I said, I'll leave whenever I want. I'm just tagging along because you guys insisted and I don't have anything better to do."

"Nice of you to keep reminding us, since you keep saying you'll leave at any time."

Kalas kept quiet and then shot Gibari an unamused look.

The four of them were packing away supplies after a night spent camping in and around the wagon. Xelha smiled as she glanced at Kalas, and then went back to rolling up a blanket. She, Gibari and Mizuti hardly insisted that Kalas accompany them. She had noticed Kalas's awed expression as she explained their (mainly her) reason for traveling. She then asked him if perhaps he would want to stay with them, even if only for a little while. He had repeated that he thought they were crazy, but mulled over it for a while. He then admitted that he wasn't going anywhere in particular and that he may as well travel with them for a time. After all, their "little caravan could use a Selkie," as he put it. He also emphasized that he could leave at any time, especially if they headed near the far northern Miasma stream.

Kalas was a gruff one, but Xelha saw that mix of wonder and curiosity in his eyes as she explained why she wanted to stop the Miasma. Something about their quest intrigued him, even if he didn't want to say it outright. He seemed to be a very private person, which was why she didn't ask him about his apparent change of heart. Xelha did consider herself to be a good judge of character, and felt that despite his bluntness, he was a good person. She couldn't say how much of his incivility was an act,though. Maybe through his apparent interest he would open up to the group and genuinely endeavor to search for the secrets of the Miasma with them. Or maybe he really would leave at the drop of a hat.

Xelha also had to admit to herself that something about the blue-haired Selkie fascinated her. While she didn't insist that Kalas join them, she inwardly hoped he would. She really didn't know why, either. He never did explain what he was doing at Conall Curach by himself, but that wasn't it. Whatever it was, Xelha was glad that he would be traveling with them, even if only a while.

"Hey, where are you going next anyway?" Kalas asked as he put away some cooking supplies.

The Clavat girl blinked to snap herself out of her thoughts.

"We're going to bring the rubbings and translation of the writings to the scholars at Shell-" she began to say before stopping abruptly.

"What's wrong?" Kalas asked.

Mizuti turned towards Kalas and said, "Xelha be trying to say that we are going to Shella."

Kalas gave the Yuke girl a fish-eyed stare. He finally said, "Huh? What's that supposed to mean?"

Blushing, Xelha finally spoke, wanting to clear things up before the boy got any more confused.

"Shella . . . is a Yuke town about five days south of here. Mizuti is from there, and it's where I studied magic."

"Xelha always be embarrassed her name and name of town be similar," Mizuti added. Xelha tried not to shoot her an annoyed look.

So . . . you're named after this town?" Kalas asked incredulously.

"No!" The blonde girl exclaimed, face red with embarrassment, "It's just a coincidence. They're not even spelled the same!" Still blushing, Xelha apologized for her outburst. She was reminded of when she first heard of Shella back in her home village. The Xelha/Shella "confusion" became a running joke among the children there for weeks.

"Sore subject, huh?" Kalas remarked as he smirked ever so slightly, "Well, guess we better get going to _Shella_ soon." The Clavat sighed at his deliberate emphasis on the town's name.

Soon the four of them had begun the trek to the Yuke town in earnest. Gibari held the reins of the papaopamus while Kalas sat near him at the front of the wagon and Xelha and Mizuti stayed within. The landscape morphed slowly as the wagon rolled away from Conall Curach. Even outside the swamp proper there was a lot of fog and several small ponds. The fog lessened, then vanished altogether as marshland gave way to plains and shrubs. Kalas watched the landscape change in silence. Xelha was reading over the translation she transcribed and Mizuti sat with her back against one of the walls of the wagon, either looking out the back entrance or taking a nap. It was quiet save for a squeak of hunger coming from Xelha hood. Her pet greythrone Meemai poked out and the girl gave him a piece of bannock bread. Eventually, Kalas turned to look over his shoulder and asked,

"So do you know where you're going after Shella, or will you figure it out when you get there?"

Gibari smiled and said, "Want to know if you're going to bail on us early?"

"Something like that," the Selkie replied.

Xelha answered his question, "When we're done in Shella, we'll likely go to Alfitaria. The Royal Library there is supposed to have books found nowhere else, including many accounts of past expeditions to find the source of the Miasma."

"Huh, of course," Kalas replied in a scoffing tone.

"While we'll be there to find new leads, I have to admit that I'm excited to see the city," Xelha continued, ignoring Kalas's apparent indifference, "It was the capital of the old Lilty Empire and it's still the largest city in the world."

"You've never been to a city before?" Kalas asked.

"I've visited some, but not any as grand as Alfitaria is supposed to be," she replied.

"The Great Mizuti be excited, too, even if we have more important things to do!" the Yuke chimed.

"It's a huge place for sure, but it wasn't anything all that special," Kalas mused aloud, "Though, I guess I was only there for less than a day."

The blonde Clavat seemed to perk up. "You've been to Alfitaria before?"

"Yeah, about a year ago. I stopped there to pick up some supplies, so I didn't stay long."

"Well, I hope you won't mind a return, then," Xelha said.

"As long as we're not going near that northern Miasma stream, then I don't care," Kalas remarked coolly.

The Clavat girl chuckled. She then looked passed Kalas, who had turned himself around to better talk to her, a thoughtful expression on her face. Mostly to herself she said, "I wonder how much the library has on pre-Miasma times in general? We know so little about them."

Mizuti suddenly interjected, "Lilties get bad reputation for conquering the world, but they at least preserve the past."

"Conquered the world, fought an endless war against the Yukes that ultimately did their empire in, kept the Clavats as virtual slaves, and gave us Selkies as bad reputation we've only recently been starting to shake off," Kalas added nonchalantly.

"Kalas!" Xelha said sternly. Did he enjoy provoking people like that? Gibari wasn't the type to get angry easily, but it was still rude. Her caution proved unnecessary, though, as Gibari said,

"It's not like he's lying. Oversimplifying things maybe, but the empire's done some terrible things."

"That's true," Xelha said, "But they weren't the evil empire some stories make them out to be, either. History is rarely black and white like that. For better or worse, the Lilty Empire did bring order to the world shortly after the Miasma came."

"Yeah, I know," Kalas interjected, "They also established the Crystal Caravans, built and maintained the roads we still use today and like you said, kept great records and histories. I don't really have an issue with Lilties. Heck, I'm glad to be alive now when most of thestigmatisms Selkies had are considered bad stereotypes."

"But sometimes older folks still believe in those stereotypes. I've known some geezers who still act like there's a Lilty Empire," Gibari said, despite himself.

"Eh, I don't let it get to me," Kalas said.

"All tribes be friends!" Mizuti exclaimed, "The past be in the past!"

Kalas didn't scoff at that statement, but he did turn back around. Xelha smiled to herself. The Selkie was becoming more willing to engage in conversations with them. She also wondered if his implied past experiences with discrimination colored his attitude more than he let on.

"Huh?" Kalas said suddenly. Gibari pulled on the reins as she shouted, "woah!" to stop the wagon.

"Why we be stopping?" Mizuti asked.

Gibari pointed out at the road, "There's someone calling out to us."

With the wagon stopped, the two inside the wagon could hear the voice of a young man shout "hey!" Kalas jumped down from the wagon and the girls moved closer to the front to see who it was. A teenage Selkie boy ran up to them. He didn't wear a shirt, but had a sort of fur collar around his neck that was attacked to thin straps that crossed his chest. These were attached to a metal choker around his neck and to an object around his waist. This held up a sort of split tan-colored waist cape. His leggings had horizontal dark purple and light purple stripes that ran into his furred-trimmed boots. Covering some of his short red hair was a large bandana in a similar color pattern to his leggings. It was an odd outfit to be sure.

"Hey, can you guys help a fellow traveler out?" He asked once he got close enough.

"What wrong?" Kalas inquired.

"It's our papaopamus. He injured his leg farther up the road," he replied, pointing. There was a wagon and a blue-furred creature in the distance, though too far away to make out any details, "Do you have any medicine, or know any healing magic?"

Xelha climbed out of the wagon, Mizuti not far behind her. She said, "We're mages and we both have Cure rings. We can help you."

The redhead clapped his hands together and smiled, "Oh thank you, thank you! I was afraid we'd be stranded here, that is my grandfather and I. He's back at the wagon. Thank the crystals you came along!"

"It not be big deal." Mizuti said, "You be doing the same for us, yes?"

"Well of course," he said rubbing the back of his head, "Gotta help each other out in these times of Miasma, right?"

Xelha turned to face Gibari and Kalas, "This shouldn't take too long, so you can wait here.

"We know. It's not like _Shella_ is going to go anywhere. Kalas said. With a smirk he added, "I mean the town. You're obviously going somewhere."

The Clavat hid her annoyance, turning around to follow the stranded Selkie and Mizuti. She heard Gibari chuckle and say, "Don't tease her too much, kid."

When the girls arrived at the Selkie's wagon—Bal Dat was his name—they saw an elderly Selkie man near the papaopamus. The balding man had a full red beard, which was starting to grey, and wore a purple bandana like his grandson. His one piece fur-trimmed outfit was much less outlandish than Bal Dat's, but it was purple striped like the boy's leggings.

"Are these young ladies here to help us?" he asked in a tired but kindly voicec.

"We are, sir. My name is Xelha," she replied.

"And I be the Great Mizuti!"

The man bowed slightly, "I'm Meh Gat, Bal Dat's grandfather."

"I know I said this already, but I'm so glad you guys came along when you did!" Bal Dat exclaimed, "Grandpa here isn't in the best of health, and our wagon is pretty shabby. We wouldn't have stood a chance if any monsters came by."

Xelha glanced over at wagon. There was a large tear in the side of the yellow-with-age canvas. The wheels were terribly worn, too.

Mizuti seemed to voice Xelha's thoughts as she said, "How that thing can be moving?"

"Erm, that's why we really want to get going to the next town. This wagon on its last leg and we can finally afford a new one," Bal Dat replied quickly. Meh Gat nodded.

They went over to the injured beast, which was lying down. Its left front leg didn't seem broken, but the poor creature couldn't move well. As Mizuti casted a Cure spell, Xelha noted that the redheaded Selkie boy seemed a little fidgety. Was he nervous about the spell not being able to heal the papaopamus? Then why did he keep glancing down the road, where the others waited?

The Yuke girl quickly finished the spell. The blue animal rose up, testing its leg and grunting in appreciation. This prompted Meemai, still in Xelha's hood, to squeak. Bal Dat quickly covered his anxiety with a smile and said,"

"Thank you so very much! I don't know how we'll ever repay you!"

"Yes, thank you," the older Selkie added.

"If only we weren't getting a new wagon, then we could give you something," the boy continued.

"You don't have to worry about it. We understand," Xelha said with a smile.

"Oh well, what can be done. Grandpa and I need to get to the nearest town, anyway," he said quickly.

The two Selkies thanked the girls again, and then set to work putting the wagon yoke back on the papaopamus. After saying their good-byes, Xelha and Mizuti started to walk back to their caravan.

"He looked be in hurry at end," Mizuti noted once they were out of the pair's earshot.

"You think so too? I thought maybe I was just overanalyzing things."

"Maybe we be keeping eye on them."

Xelha glanced over her shoulder, "They're already riding away. Whatever was bothering them, we probably won't know now."

Shortly before the mages reached their parked wagon, they heard an unfamiliar voice shout, "Leggo! Leggo of me, kupo!" They hurried over to the back of the wagon, where the voice came from. There, Kalas was holding a small furry armless creature with large ears, tiny wings, and a red ball attached to a sort of antenna on its forehead—a Moogle. This Moogel's fur was mostly purple with darker purple stripes on his body and the back of his head. His ears also had dark purple jagged patterns on them and the left one had a small notch in it. The Moogle struggled and kept demanding that Kalas release him.

"Kalas? Gibari? What's going on?" Xelha asked.

"Where Moogle be coming from?" Mizuti inquired.

As he stood cross-armed near Kalas, Gibari replied, "We caught him in the back of the wagon rifling through our stuff. Kalas managed to nab him before he could fly away."

"Hold still, will ya? And tell us what you were doing back there?" He demanded of the purple being.

"I said let—go!" he shouted as he flapped his wings rapidly. On the word "go" he managed to pry himself free from Kalas's grip. As the boy exclaimed, "hey!" the purple Moogle flew into a nearby patch of bushes.

"Bal Dat! Meh Gat! Looks like I picked the right bush, kupo!" he cheered.

"You idiot! Don't talk so loud!" a now familiar voice replied more quietly but still loud enough for the caravan to hear. At first they just stared dumb-founded at the bushes. Then they moved closer to them as the bickering continued.

"That was kind of loud, too," an older voice said.

"Never mind that! We need to get out of here now! Geez, I still can't believe that you not only didn't nab anything, but got caught, too, Artemicion!"

"It's not completely my fault! You should've gotten all four of them to come with you, kupo!"

"That would've been suspicious, stupid!"

"Uh, maybe we should go-"

Once the four of them reached the shrubs, their strong suspicions were confirmed. Behind the bushes were the two Selkies the girls just helped as well as the Moogle crouched on the ground. They looked up at the caravan members with similar fearful expressions on their faces.

"So, you were trying to rob us, huh?" Kalas said, glaring at them.

"That why Selkie boy act suspicious. Strange. Dubious," Mizuti said.

"And you almost got away with it, if it weren't for your noisy Moogle pal," Gibari added.

The two Selkie sprang up quickly and then dashed towards a small copse of trees. The purple Moogle trailed right behind them. Despite how he seemed earlier, Meh Gat managed to keep up with the redheaded boy.

"You haven't seen the last of the Striped Brigands, kupo!" Artemicion shouted.

"Don't say that, bannock-for-brains! Now they'll expect us!" Bal Dat yelled angrily.

"Uh, whoops!"

Xelha and the other stared at the fleeing thieves in bemusement. Kalas contemplated giving chase, but decided against it since they didn't steal anything. He did, however, break the silence,

"What . . . just happened?"

"We almost be robbed by those three," Mizuti said manner-of-factly. Either she didn't get that it was a rhetorical question, or she just felt like being obvious.

"What's stranger is that two of them were actually Selkies, even if they weren't good thieves," Gibari said

"I guess even bad stereotypes are true sometimes," Kalas said.

"I suppose . . ." Xelha trailed off.

With the distraction out of the way, the four of them continued on their way to Shella. Despite her suspicion, it somehow never occurred to Xelh that Bal Dat and Meh Gat were trying to steal from her and the others. She also wondered how they moved so quickly back to their caravan. Either way, they would all have to be more cautious in the future.

* * *

Wow, it took me about three months to get this chapter out and post it. Considering how I've been posting stories for the past four or so years, this is incredible! Maybe I can get the next chapter up even faster! I hope...

This chapter is a bit more talky. I hope you guys won't find it too dull. I can't have too many battle chapters. Actually for this story, there won't be battle scenes for some time. Whether you liked it, hated it, or thought it was kind of meh, please tell me in a review!


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